Obituary: Carol Anne Doele
88‑Year‑Old Brunswick Resident Carol Anne Doele Passes Away
Brunswick, Maine – Carol Anne Doele, a longtime music enthusiast and dedicated church volunteer, died on September 26, 2026 at Maine Medical Center in Portland. The 88‑year‑old was born April 18, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Henry and Adele Stewart Ahnemann.
Doele married Donald C. Doele on February 25, 1956. The couple remained together for 66 years until Donald’s death on August 9, 2022. The family lost another member early this year, Bruce Doele, a son who predeceased his mother.
A lifelong passion for music guided Doele’s community involvement. She sang in several church choirs, including Trinity United Methodist in Ewing, New Jersey, Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church in New Jersey, and First Parish Church in Brunswick. She also performed with Princeton Pro Musica, sharing stages at Carnegie Hall and traveling to Ireland, Canada and Ecuador. Each holiday season she would gather her family around her piano at home, leading the carols that filled the house with song.
Doele’s career spanned several decades and locations. She began as a bookkeeper for First Methodist Church in Trenton, New Jersey. She then served as office manager for over 25 years at the Nassau Club in Princeton, New Jersey. After retiring, she moved to Maine in 2003 and spent several years as a bookkeeper for First Parish Church in Brunswick.
She leaves behind a large extended family. Her brother, Donald (Ann), and her three sons – Donald Jr. (Damariscotta), David (Jody) (Easthampton, Massachusetts) and Bradley (Cindy) (Palmyra, New Jersey) – survived her. Doele was also survived by six grandchildren: Ryan (Kayle) Doele; Ashlee (Carlos) Ochoa; Tara (Matthew) Leise; James Doele; Lauren (Phillip) Akins; and Jeremy Doele. Five great‑grandsons – Wyatt and James Akins; Hank and Bruce Doele; Jack Leise – and one great‑granddaughter, Scottie Leise, also predeceased her.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, November 2, at First Parish Church, Cleaveland Street, Brunswick. In accordance with her wishes, Doele will be interred in the First Parish Memorial Garden in Brunswick.
Memorial donations may be made to First Parish Church, Brunswick and to The Muscular Dystrophy Association (www.mda.org/disease/polymyositis) in support of polymyositis research. Family members and friends can share memories and condolences at http://www.brackettfh.com.
